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A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 


IS   AN  EXCERPT  FROM  THE  SECOND  BOOK  OF 


Arthur  St.  John  Newberry 
II 


Another  Catch 


It  was  published  after  the  death  of  the  Author, 

and  is  sent  in  fulfilment  of  his  wishes 

to  the  members  of  the 


St.  Bernard  Fish  and  Game  Club 


Printed     for    the    Writer    by 

The  Bryan  Printing  Company 

cleveland,  ohio 


CkSE 

» 


Gen.  Wm.  W.  Henry 

President  of  the  St.  Bernard  Club 


One  Hundred  and  Fifty  Copies  of  this  Booklet  have  been 
printed,  of  which  this  is  No.  ^ 


M839013 


Presented  to 


C«^     By  the  Writer 


A  Fisherman's  Paradise 


VER  since  beginning  to  use  a 
fly  rod,  now  about  forty  years,  I 
have  hoped  to  find  some  place, 
not  too  far  away  to  be  available 
in  a  reasonably  short  vacation, 
where  trout  were  plentiful,  large 
and  gamy,  where  the  country 
was    attractive,    where    natives 

were  absent  and  fishermen  not 

too  frequent,  where  one  could  have  all  necessary 
comfort  and  convenience  with  no  attempt  at  elegance, 
where  guides  were  good  and  willing,  where  camp- 
ing with  its  necessary  large  impedimenta  and  con- 
siderable discomfort  was  not  essential,  and  where  all 
these  desiderata  could  be  had  without  great  expendi- 
ture. As  years  have  been  added,  and  health  and 
strength  have  diminished,  such  a  haven  of  rest  has 
seemed  more  and  more  desirable  and  less  and  less 
attainable,  but  at  last  I  have  reached  my  haven,  all 
these  blessings  and  more  are  mine,  and  this  is  written 
to  show  others  the  way  to  such  a  paradise  as  has 
been  finally  opened  to  me. 

Four  years  ago,  while  telling  my  hopes  to  a 
friend,  he  described  a  fishing  and  shooting  club  in 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 


Quebec,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  in  very  attrac- 
tive terms,  and  I  carelessly  asked  him  to  get  me  a 
share  when  the  chance  should  occur.  Six  months 
later  a  telegram  arrived  reading,  "Can  get  share  for 
three  hundred.  Do  you  want  it?"  This  was  an- 
swered '^Yes.  Check  mailed  today,"  and  the  certifi- 
cate arrived  in  due  course.  That  August  I  made  my 
first  journey  to  the  promised  land,  have  been  there 
three  times  since,  and  what  it  proved  to  be  is  de- 
scribed hereafter. 

That  part  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  lying  east 
of  Montreal  is  a  narrow  strip  of  cultivated  country 
along  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  averaging  perhaps 
twenty-five  miles  in  width,  and  bordered  on  the  north 
by  a  wild  region,  heavily  forested  and  full  of  lakes 
and  streams,  the  natural  home  of  the  Salmonidae 
and  the  moose.  This  wilderness  is  nearly  all  owned 
by  the  Province,  which  leases  the  lumbering  rights 
under  very  strict  regulations,  and  also  the  exclusive 
shooting  and  fishing  rights  at  a  reasonable  annual 
rental.  This  policy  provides  a  considerable  revenue 
from  the  wild  lands,  while  preserving  the  forests  and 
the  fish  and  game,  as  the  laws  regulating  how  much 
may  be  taken  are  rigid  and  strictly  enforced.  It  has 
encouraged  the  formation  of  clubs,  who  purchase 
outright  sites  for  their  camps,  erect  buildings,  con- 
nect the  lakes  and  rivers  by  portages,  lease  their  other 
grounds  from  the  government,  vary  from  the  very 
ornate  and  costly  to  those  of  extreme  simplicity,  and 
control  from  a  few  square  miles  to  several  hundreds. 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 


Leaving  Montreal  in  the  morning  one  disem- 
barks in  three  hours  at  a  small  station,  named  for  a 
saint,  for  the  Catholic  church  is  the  dominating  influ- 
ence in  this  country,  where  he  is  met  by  a  team,  and 
driven  fifteen  miles  nearly  due  north.  The  road  is 
really  good,  one  soon  passes  through  a  little  town, 
clustered  round  its  big  church,  with  the  signs  over 
the  shops  all  in  French,  and  then  follows  an  attrac- 
tive river,  through  little  French  farms.  Ten  miles 
along  comes  another  village,  then  a  winding  climb 
for  five  miles  and,  from  the  ridge  at  last  reached, 
one  suddenly  beholds  a  great  lake,  ringed  round  with 
mountains  and  studded  with  lofty  islands,  all  heavily 
wooded,  and,  rattling  down  the  slope  for  a  mile  or 
so,  pulls  up  at  the  lower  camp  close  to  the  water's 
edge. 

This  club  house  is  a  roomy  frame  building  with 
a  wide  porch.  Most  of  the  ground  floor  is  a  sitting 
and  dining  room,  with  a  big  table,  plain  wood  chairs, 
a  lot  of  splint  bottom  rockers  and  a  great  fireplace 
at  one  end,  the  walls  decorated  with  birchbark  trac- 
ings of  big  trout.  Back  of  the  dining  room  is  a 
kitchen  and  quarters  for  the  steward,  and  the  end  of 
the  ground  floor  and  the  whole  of  the  upper  floor 
are  divided  into  four  bedrooms,  each  containing  six 
or  eight  single  iron  beds,  with  good  mattresses  and 
pillows  and  plenty  of  soft  blankets,  the  guests  bring- 
ing their  own  bed  linen.  The  house  is  in  charge  of 
a  French  Canadian  and  his  wife,  who  supply  meals 
at  a  fixed  and  moderate  price  per  day,  plain  but  most 


10  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

excellent,  with  light  frothy  omelets,  thin  crisp  bacon, 
puffy  and  tender  pancakes,  fresh  eggs,  excellent 
cream  and  fresh  trout  in  every  form,  while  baked 
beans,  cornbeef  hash,  tongue  and  other  things  from 
the  native  tin,  hot  biscuits,  doughnuts  and  similar 
solids  help  to  make  up  an  entirely  sufficient  menu. 
The  floors  are  exquisitely  white  and  everything  is 
clean  and  attractive.  Back  of  the  main  house  is  a 
barn  for  the  storage  of  canoes,  which  the  Club  sup- 
plies free  of  charge.  Most  members  keep  in  the  bed- 
rooms a  trunk  containing  their  fishing  outfit,  cloth- 
ing, rods,  tackle  boxes,  packs  and  packing  bags,  etc. 
I  always  take  up  a  steamer  trunk  containing  my  per- 
sonal necessaries  for  the  trip,  consisting  chiefly  of 
clothing  and  tobacco  and,  on  leaving  Saccacoma  for 
the  upper  camps,  stow  these  into  what  is  called  a 
''Nessmuk"  pack,  consisting  of  a  bag  of  waterproof 
canvas,  with  flap  and  fastening  strap,  which  swings 
over  the  back  like  a  knapsack  and  is  quite  sufficient 
to  carry  everything  needed  for  two  weeks.  The  Club 
engages  guides,  all  French  Canadians  and  mostly 
speaking  only  Canadian  French,  which  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  Parisian  French  and  hard  to  understand 
until  you  get  the  hang  of  it.  They  seemed  to  under- 
stand my  French  without  serious  trouble,  but  I  found 
great  difficulty  in  understanding  them.  A  number 
of  the  guides  have  picked  up  considerable  English, 
sometimes  through  talking  with  the  members  and 
sometimes  through  having  worked  in  the  New  Eng- 
land factories,  and  this  is  a  great  convenience  to  one 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  11 


who  does  not  speak  French;  but  they  all  seem  anx- 
ious to  do  their  very  best  to  give  you  a  good  time, 
can  understand  signs  in  the  absence  of  common  lan- 
guage, are  good  men  with  a  paddle  and  pack  and 
singularly  pleasant,  willing  and  kindly.  They  are 
very  poor,  have  large  families  and  usually  begin  to 
work  at  seven  or  eight  years  old,  so  that  few  of  them 
can  read  and  write,  but  there  is  plenty  of  work  for 
willing  men  and  I  think  these  people  are  as  happy, 
or  happier,  than  many  Americans  much  better  ofif 
financially. 

Saccacoma  is  a  large  and  deep  lake,  full  of 
minnows  and  other  food  and  containing  many  very 
big  trout.  These  do  not  show  much  inclination  to 
rise  to  the  fly,  except  when  a  rather  stiff  breeze  blows 
and  the  sky  is  overcast,  and  then  only  in  particular 
places  such  as  the  points  of  the  islands  and  promon- 
tories of  the  rocky  shore.  Consequently  this  lake  is 
largely  given  up  to  the  older  and  stouter  members 
of  the  Club,  who  do  not  care  to  take  long  tramps, 
are  not  strictly  devoted  to  fly  fishing,  and  make  their 
captures  by  trolling,  using  small  spoons,  phantom 
minnows,  silver  soldiers  and  similar  lures.  Still  a 
diligent  fisherman,  with  some  knowledge  of  the  lake, 
can  take  with  the  fly  quite  as  many  trout  as  he  can 
possibly  use,  and  the  fish  being  well  fed,  strong,  deep 
and  thick,  make  a  magnificent  fight.  A  two-pounder 
taken  on  my  last  trip  showed  greater  strength  for  his 
weight  than  any  trout  I  ever  hooked,  refusing  to 
come  near  the  boat,  making  furious  rushes  which 


12  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

obliged  me  to  give  him  line  again  and  again,  and 
finally  being  netted  only  after  a  combat  of  at  least 
fifteen  minutes.  A  number  of  Canadian  red  trout, 
S.  aureolus,  have  been  planted  here,  but  I  have  taken 
only  one,  about  twelve  inches  long,  very  slender,  the 
back  olive  brown,  sides  flushed  with  pink  and  the 
whole  lower  parts  intensely  crimson  and  scarlet,  most 
beautiful  to  see  and  very  strong  and  active.  In  sev- 
eral small  lakes  nearby  the  ouananiche  has  been  in- 
troduced, and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  take  two  of 
these  of  about  two  pounds  each,  the  only  time  these 
fish  have  ever  come  to  me.  They  were  much  like  the 
grilse  taken  in  Newfoundland,  though  more  slender, 
with  larger  eyes,  fins  and  dark  spots,  but  the  way 
they  leap,  rush  and  make  sideways  dashes,  so  that  the 
line  throws  up  water  like  a  sword  blade,  is  a  revela- 
tion. As  the  trout  is  to  ordinary  fish  so  is  the  ouan- 
aniche to  the  trout. 

North  from  the  first  club  house  extends  a  tract, 
approximately  eight  miles  by  twenty-five,  in  which 
the  fishing  and  shooting  is  exclusively  controlled  by 
the  Club.  This  abounds  in  lakes,  from  a  hundred 
yards  to  fifteen  miles  long,  connected  by  brooks  and 
rivers  of  all  sizes  and  speeds,  all  swarming  with 
trout,  the  big  fish  as  usual  preferring  the  big  water 
when  they  can  get  to  it.  The  country  is  imperfectly 
mapped  and  every  now  and  then  new  lakes  are  found, 
sometimes  containing  trout  and  sometimes  not.  If 
there  are  no  trout,  the  finder  will  catch  a  few  from 
the  nearest  supply,  carry  them  over  the  trail  and 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  13 

dump  them  in  the  new  water  and,  within  three  or 
four  years,  this  also  will  give  good  fishing.  It  is  a 
rule  of  the  Club  that  each  lake  shall  bear  the  name 
of  the  member  who  first  takes  a  trout  from  it.^  I 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  gain  this  coveted  distinc- 
tion, but  hope  to  do  so  in  the  future. 

Moose  are  also  common,  their  tracks  being  vis- 
ible on  the  portages  almost  everywhere  and  I  have 
never  made  a  trip  to  this  country  without  seeing 
these  great  deer,  although  my  desire  to  kill  them  has 
passed  by.  With  trout  it  is  my  habit  to  put  back  into 
the  water  about  nine-tenths  of  my  catch,  after  weigh- 
ing and  measuring  any  large  ones,  with  great  care 
not  to  injure  them,  retaining  only  as  many  of  the 
smaller  ones  as  my  party  can  use  for  food,  and  this  is 
the  usual  practice  of  our  members,  so  there  are  just 
as  many  fish  in  these  waters  as  they  can  support,  they 
are  rapidly  increasing  in  number,  and  the  average 
size  of  those  taken  from  the  big  water  is  steadily 
growing.  As  I  fish  only  with  the  fly  four  pounds  is 
as  yet  my  biggest,  but  other  fly  fishermen  have  shown 
me  trout  up  to  four  and  one-half,  one  of  five  and  a 
quarter  took  a  scarlet  ibis  last  August,  a  two  pound 
fish  attaching  himself  to  the  second  fly  at  the  same 
time,  and  one  weighing  about  six  and  a  half  pounds 
has  been  caught  in  Saccacoma  with  trolling  tackle. 

Trout,  especially  big  trout,  rarely  rise  with  any 
freedom  until  the  natural  flies  become  numerous, 
so  that  one  cannot  expect  much  success  with  the  fly 
early  in  the  year  until  the  fly,  black  and  mosquito,  is 


14  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

on  hand  ready  to  have  success  with  him.  A  little 
care  in  arranging  a  net  over  one's  head  at  night,  and 
the  use  of  gloves  and  a  fly  dope  by  day,  protects  one 
from  any  serious  annoyance.  I  carry  a  little  bottle 
of  oil  of  citronella,  apply  it  freely  on  going  out  and 
am  protected  for  about  an  hour,  then  a  bite  or  two 
reminds  me  to  make  another  application,  and  all  this 
is  not  too  much  trouble.  The  most  unpleasant  fea- 
ture is  that,  if  a  smoker,  one  finds  the  flavor  of  his 
tobacco  replaced  by  that  of  citronella,  unless  he  uses 
the  very  greatest  care  to  avoid  contamination. 

A  number  six  fly  seems  to  be  the  correct  size  for 
these  waters  and  a  dozen  of  each  of  about  six  stand- 
ard patterns  are  all  one  really  needs,  though  a  few 
number  fours  can  do  no  harm.  In  June  I  have 
found  the  Scarlet  Ibis  is  generally  the  most  at- 
tractive, with  the  Parmacheene  Belle  second,  but 
very  decidedly  behind.  On  certain  lakes  the  fish 
have  marked  preferences  for  particular  flies,  the 
Silver  Doctor  being  a  favorite  with  the  large  trout 
of  Otter  Lake  and  the  White  Miller  generally 
doing  best  on  Trout  Lake.  A  dull  black.  Grizzly 
King  Montreal  and  Professor  are  also  often  very 
successful,  and  the  Yellow  May  should  always  be 
kept  in  one's  book.  Fishing  on  St.  Bernard  one 
day  in  spring  nothing  whatever  would  move  so, 
having  heard  somewhere  that  trout  would  sometimes 
take  a  yellow  fly  when  nothing  else  would  attract, 
I  looped  on  a  Yellow  May  and  trout  after  trout,  and 
good  ones,  came  to  that  particular  fly,  refusing  every- 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  15 

thing  else.  A  small  black  and  red  "Quack  Doctor" 
produced  a  similar  effect  on  the  beautiful  little  trout 
of  Vermont  Lake  during  one  bright  and  rather  still 
afternoon.  Finding  that  nothing  else  was  touched  I 
looped  on  three  of  these  and  hooked,  played  and 
boated  three  half-pound  fish  at  one  cast,  which  was 
a  new  experience  to  me.  Of  course  getting  three 
fish  so  hooked  into  the  boat  is  a  clumsy  process  at 
best,  for  one  or  two  must  be  hauled  in  by  the  leader, 
and  will  certainly  be  lost  unless  firmly  fastened. 

For  this  fishing,  according  to  my  custom  of 
many  years  past,  I  use  a  small  rubber  and  metal 
multiplying  reel,  finding  it  much  preferable  to  the 
single  action  pattern,  not  only  because  of  its  rapid 
handling  of  line  but  also  because  the  reversed  action 
of  the  spool  brings  in  the  line  away  from  the  rod,  so 
that  it  can  be  readily  grasped  by  the  fingers  of  the 
left  hand.  This  is  a  great  convenience  in  fishing 
from  a  boat,  when  I  rarely  use  the  reel,  but  draw  in 
line  through  the  rings  with  the  hands  only.  The 
stock  objection  to  a  multiplier  is  that  the  line  is  likely 
to  catch  on  the  handle,  but  I  have  never  had  this 
happen  when  a  trout  was  on  and  think  that,  if  ordi- 
nary care  and  skill  are  used,  such  a  danger  is  purely 
imaginary. 

The  usual  landing  net  for  boat  use  has  a  bamboo 
handle  about  forty  inches  long  and  this  makes  a  very 
handy  place  to  keep  spare  tips,  if  hollowed  out 
smooth  and  fitted  with  a  screw  cap.  Such  a  long 
handle  is  not  essential  for  lake  fishing,  nor  perhaps 


16  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

for  any  fishing,  if  one  has  patience  to  thoroughly  ex- 
haust each  fish  before  trying  to  land  him.  All  that 
is  really  necessary  is  something  to  lift  the  weight 
from  the  water  and  a  short  handled  wading  net,  or 
even  a  willow  fishing  creel,  are  entirely  suitable  if 
the  trout  is  completely  tired  out.  I  have  tried  both 
with  success,  finding  the  net  much  the  better  but  the 
basket  do  at  a  pinch.  Of  course  little  trout  can 
be  lifted  by  a  hook  hold  which  the  weight  of  a  big 
one  would  tear  through  instantly,  so  the  net  is  neces- 
sary to  save  that  very  big  fellow  that  gets  away  so 
often,  but  a  really  large  trout  is  certainly  not  so 
strong,  pound  for  pound,  as  one  of  moderate  dimen- 
sions. His  weight  makes  it  impossible  to  hurry  him, 
but  his  movements  are  comparatively  slow  and 
stately.  In  lake  fishing  all  that  is  essential  is  to  keep 
your  line  taut,  make  him  fight  for  every  inch  he  gets 
and  take  plenty  of  time.  In  swift  water  the  problem 
is  more  difficult;  one  must  follow  his  fish  down,  look 
out  for  rocks,  brush,  trees  and  footing,  and  wait  until 
a  favorable  pool  or  eddy  gives  a  chance  to  fight  to 
a  finish  on  fair  terms;  but  the  rules  of  combat  are 
just  the  same  and  victory  is  gained  by  the  same  meth- 
ods in  both  cases. 

After  a  day  or  so  at  the  lower  house  one  fills 
his  pack,  ties  a  spare  rod,  net  and  rubber  coat  in  the 
canoe,  and  is  paddled,  between  the  islands  and  past 
great  frowning  clififs  on  the  west  shore,  to  the  foot 
of  the  first  portage,  a  narrow  and  winding  path  into 
the  depths  of  the  forest.     A  mile  of  walking  and 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  17 

some  hundred  feet  of  climb  bring  one  to  Willy,  a 
typical  mountain  lake,  abounding  in  trout  up  to  a 
pound  or  so.  Crossing  this  a  short  ascent  reaches  the 
crest  of  a  divide,  and  one  scrambles  down  a  steeply 
falling  track  to  Culbute,  almost  Willy's  twin,  and 
after  another  short  carry,  looks  out  on  St.  Bernard, 
paddles  across  a  bay  and  round  a  rocky  point,  and 
hauls  out  in  front  of  camp  number  two,  built  of  logs 
and  arranged  much  like  the  lower  house,  though  con- 
siderably smaller.  From  here  one  fishes  in  St.  Ber- 
nard itself,  and  in  half  a  dozen  other  lakes,  all  lovely 
and  abounding  with  active  and  beautiful  fish.  One 
of  these  trout,  in  the  spring,  is  as  brightly  colored  as 
most  male  trout  in  the  fall,  and  their  strength  and 
courage  seems  as  great  as  their  beauty;  but  the  breed 
is  small,  one  of  a  pound  and  a  half  being  decidedly 
uncommon. 

Little  Vermont  is  half  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
larger  lake,  and  is  a  perfect  gem,  set  in  dense  forest, 
overhung  by  a  promontory  of  lofty  crags,  where  an 
osprey  family  breeds  year  after  year,  and  with  its 
level  raised  two  or  three  feet  by  a  flourishing  colony 
of  beaver,  who  have  built  a  very  fine  dam  across  the 
outlet.  A  reef  crosses  the  lake  some  hundred  yards 
south  of  the  landing,  and  here  one  can  take  as  many 
quarter  and  half-pounders  as  he  can  use,  and  more 
if  he  is  cruel  enough.  The  larger  fish  do  not  seem 
to  care  to  stay  in  these  small  waters. 

Evidently  other  trout  than  Fontinalis  have  been 
brought  in  for  we  took  from  St.  Bernard  a  twelve 


18  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 


inch  fish,  profusely  dotted  with  small  black  spots 
above  the  median  line  and  on  the  cheeks,  coming 
nearer  to  S.  Lewisi  than  to  any  other  description  in 
Jordan  and  Everman's  book.  I  very  carelessly 
omitted  to  photograph  him  at  once,  he  was  dressed 
and  cooked  when  the  idea  of  doing  so  came,  and 
most  diligent  efiforts  failed  to  produce  another  like 
him.  We  did,  however,  take  a  number  of  appar- 
ently typical  Fontinalis,  each  bearing  a  few  small 
black  spots  sparsely  scattered  over  the  sides;  but 
whether  these  indicate  mixed  blood  or  have  any  real 
significance  at  all  is  unknown  to  me. 

From  this  middle  camp  one  paddles  and  port- 
ages, through  a  series  of  lakes  joined  by  good  trails, 
crosses  a  divide  between  Minette  and  Blue,  passing 
another  beaver  dam,  and  in  some  three  hours,  reaches 
Camp  Parmelee,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Vialon,  from 
which  a  splendid  series  of  lakes  and  streams  is  avail- 
able, of  all  sizes  and  filled  with  trout  varying  from 
small  to  big  in  approximate  correspondence  with  the 
size  of  their  residence.  As  their  outlets  are  so  small 
and  so  blocked  by  rocks  and  timber,  that  fish  of  any 
size  cannot  pass.  Otter  and  Sherman  abound  in  big 
trout,  the  latter  especially  containing  fish  quite  out  of 
proportion  to  its  small  size,  most  brilliant  in  color,  fat 
and  lazy,  and  much  the  best  on  the  table  that  I  have 
met.  Doubtless  the  fact  that  the  lake  is  full  of  fish 
food,  and  no  particular  exertion  or  exercise  is  neces- 
sary to  fare   abundantly,   explains   this   peculiarity. 


I 

2- 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  19 

These  upper  lakes  all  drain  into  Sans  Bout,  long, 
irregular  and  full  of  big  fish,  from  which  a  river  of 
the  same  name,  a  great  and  glorious  stream  carries 
the  combined  waters  to  Sorcier,  the  biggest  of  our 
lakes,  whose  outlet  flows  over  the  Chamberlain  falls, 
a  cataract  impassable  for  any  fish.  When  the  club  was 
first  formed,  some  thirty  years  ago,  it  is  said  that  none 
of  the  lakes  or  streams  above  this  fall  contained  trout, 
and  that  their  present  profuse  population  is  entirely 
descended  from  some  put  in  at  that  time.  These 
have  increased,  spread  and  assorted  themselves  ac- 
cording to  size,  until  they  now  throng  the  waters 
with  as  great  a  multitude  as  they  can  support,  on 
which  such  fishing  as  is  now  done,  almost  always 
sportsman-like  and  reasonable,  can  make  no  impres- 
sion. The  desire  to  make  a  record  catch  in  number, 
the  willingness  to  kill  what  cannot  be  used,  seem 
to  have  about  disappeared,  and  most  or  all  of  the  club 
fish  humanely  and  moderately,  put  back  unhurt  what 
they  cannot  use,  and  make  a  moderate  and  reasonable 
catch  on  their  last  day  to  take  out  and  distribute  to 
their  friends;  all  of  which  is  just  as  it  should  be. 

It  is  half  past  four  of  a  day  in  June,  the  sky  full 
of  big  white  and  gray  clouds,  with  patches  of  blue 
here  and  there,  and  a  gentle  breeze  out  of  the  north- 
west ripples  the  surface  of  Lake  Vialon,  which  is 
broken  here  and  there  by  the  rings  of  rising  fish.  One 
has  had  a  good  cigar  and  a  little  nap,  after  his  excel- 
lent luncheon,  while  the  bright  hours  passed,  and 
now  it  is  time  to  try  the  rod  again.    A  hail  from  the 


20  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

end  of  the  porch  brings  out  your  guide,  who  shoul- 
ders the  birch  and  takes  the  trail  that  in  a  hundred 
yards  or  so  opens  on  the  shore  of  Sherman,  the  west 
side  of  which,  densely  forested,  one  coasts,  dropping 
his  flies  into  the  shadows  under  the  bank.  In  half  an 
hour  one  has  taken  a  couple  of  wide,  deep  crimson 
bellied  fellows  of  a  pound  or  two  each  and  probably 
put  back  several  others.  The  two  trout  are  hung 
on  a  tree,  out  of  reach  of  the  mink,  to  be  picked  up 
and  taken  back  for  supper,  and  another  short  trail 
brings  you  to  the  edge  of  a  steep  bank  from  which 
you  look  out  on  beautiful  Sans  Bout,  with  its  lofty 
shores,  wooded  and  rocky  islands  and  winding  chan- 
nels. You  stand  at  the  easterly  point  of  a  deep  bay, 
whose  whole  northern  side  is  already  in  shadow,  and, 
paddling  slowly  along  it,  drop  the  flies  on  still  and 
deep  water  close  to  the  shore.  Here  lie  big  brown- 
sided,  deep  bodied  trout,  and  as  the  sun  sinks  lower 
they  begin  to  rise,  coming  up  with  a  furious  splash  of 
the  still  water  and  fighting  fiercely  and  long  before 
the  net  can  be  slid  under  them.  You  have  already 
trout  for  supper,  and  these  big  and  strong  fellows 
are  rather  too  hard  in  the  flesh  to  be  really  good  eat- 
ing, so  each  is  carefully  landed,  measured  and 
weighed  if  really  large,  dropped  back  unhurt  and 
goes  ofif  to  live  his  life  out.  Of  course,  you  are  always 
hoping  for  one  big  enough  to  be  worthy  of  having 
a  tracing  made  on  birch  bark,  inscribed  with  his 
length  and  weight  and  your  own  name,  and  tacked  on 
the  wall  as  a  memento.    The  possibility  of  a  record 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  21 

fish,  five,  six  or  possibly  seven  pounds,  keeps  your 
expectations  aroused  and  your  interest  lively;  but  if 
anything  much  over  three  pounds  takes  your  fly  it 
may  be  considered  unusual.  These  big  fellows  are 
there,  sure  enough,  but  they  do  not  care  to  come  to 
the  surface,  or  perhaps  the  smaller  and  more  active 
fish  get  ahead  of  them.  This  lake,  like  all  the  others, 
swarms  with  minnows,  and  with  big  black  leeches, 
evidently  much  favored  by  the  trout,  as  those  I  took 
here  have  often  been  so  full  of  leeches  as  to  spill 
two  or  three  from  their  mouths  into  the  canoe. 

The  Sans  Bout  river,  outlet  of  this  lake,  is  a  big 
stream,  alternating  rapids  that  one  must  portage 
around  with  stretches  that  are  navigable,  with  a 
twenty  foot  fall  about  half  way  to  Sorcier.  Fish 
abound  through  its  whole  course,  but  the  big  pools 
a  little  before  reaching  the  great  lake  are  the  choice 
spots.  Drop  the  fly  on  their  eddies  along  toward 
evening  and  you  are  certain  to  experience  a  shock, 
pleasurable  but  startling,  and  this  is  true  on  through 
the  season.  Trout  in  the  lakes,  as  the  hot  weather 
comes  on,  go  down  into  the  depths,  seek  out  spring- 
holes,  and  rise  only  sparely  and  that  very  early  or 
very  late  in  the  day.  As  September  brings  greater 
coolness  to  air  and  water  they  become  more  active, 
and  sometimes  seem  almost  as  hungry  and  eager  as 
in  the  halcyon  days  of  June.  But  in  the  river, 
whether  it  is  that  the  moving  and  highly  oxygenated 
water  produces  greater  activity,  or  for  some  other 
unknown  cause,  appetites  do  not  fail  nor  nerves  and 


22  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

muscles  become  languid,  and  a  good  fisherman,  with 
due  regard  for  conditions,  can  get  sport  that  will  sat- 
isfy him  at  any  time  of  year.  On  an  evening  of  late 
August  I  sat  in  my  canoe  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
great  pools  above  Camp  Sorcier  and,  near  the  edge 
of  the  water  weeds  by  the  further  bank,  it  seemed 
as  if  a  herd  of  elephants  were  wallowing.  The  scar- 
let ibis  was  seized  as  it  touched  the  water  and  a 
strenuous  combat  followed,  line  being  whirled  off 
of  my  reel  over  and  over  again,  but  finally  there 
was  tired  out,  brought  alongside  and  lifted  in,  as 
fine  specimen  of  a  male  trout,  in  his  wedding  gar- 
ments, as  one  is  likely  to  see.  Twenty-one  inches 
he  measured  and  four  pounds  full  he  weighed,  and, 
having  been  duly  admired,  was  carefully  slid  into 
the  river,  lay  on  his  back  for  a  minute  or  two  while 
his  gills  worked  more  and  more,  gave  a  wobbling 
half  turn,  then  a  stronger  one,  and  then  suddenly 
righted  and  vanished.  He  is  there  yet,  as  well  as  the 
much  larger  ones  that  his  impetuosity  preceded,  and 
whom  my  flies  failed  to  attract,  and  all  are  ready  to 
welcome  future  visitors.  To  photograph  this  fish 
would  have  involved  taking  his  life,  so  the  tempta- 
tion was  manfully  resisted;  and  the  portrait  of  a 
string  of  big  fellows,  taken  from  these  same  pools 
by  somebody  else,  is  substituted. 

To  obtain  satisfactory  illustrations  for  an  arti- 
cle of  this  kind  is  far  from  easy,  for  really  interest- 
ing scenes  are  few,  and  the  psychological  moments 
come  and  pass  while  the  camera  is  empty,  the  light 


^ 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  23 

is  weak,  the  subject  is  in  shadow  or  the  artist  facing 
the  sun,  or  at  one  of  the  thousand  other  impossible 
times.  Too  often,  in  one's  haste  and  eagerness,  the 
focus  is  mis-set,  or  the  stop  or  exposure  dial  left  at 
a  wrong  figure,  and  the  hideously  stupid  error  dis- 
covered long  after  the  chance  to  repair  it  has  passed 
forever  by.  Of  course  all  the  human  beings  will 
look  pained  and  unnatural,  get  into  awkward  posi- 
tions, turn  their  backs  or  grin  idiotically  at  the  lens, 
start  at  the  crucial  instant,  so  as  to  blur  the  picture 
no  matter  how  swift  the  shutter,  get  in  front  of  each 
other,  pull  down  hat  brims  so  as  to  make  faces  a  nice 
rich  black,  and  generally  do  their  best  to  hinder,  de- 
feat and  destroy.  When  the  sun  shines  backgrounds 
will  be  over-exposed,  when  it  wreathes  itself  in 
clouds  and  you  plan  a  time  exposure  the  wind  will 
furiously  sway  everything  movable  and,  instead  of 
clear  and  dainty  definition,  give  you  broad  and  blank 
blurs.  How  trying  these  troubles  are,  and  how  dif- 
ficult they  make  it  to  get  even  a  few  decently  in- 
teresting views,  only  one  who  has  tried  can  really 
know,  but  perhaps  this  brief  recapitulation  of  a  few 
of  the  obstacles  one  meets  may  induce  the  reader  to 
make  some  allowance  for  the  pictures  I  offer. 

The  membership  of  this  particular  club  is  filled, 
but  there  must  be  many  others  in  the  same  region, 
who  would  be  glad  to  welcome  gentlemen  and  sports- 
men to  their  privileges.  There  is  also  plenty  of 
splendid  fishing  ground  not  taken  up  at  all,  and  a 
moderate  amount  of  effort,  expense  and  time  will 


24  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

give  a  party  of  friends  a  club  of  their  own,  just  such 
as  they  want,  which  the  years  will  continue  to  im- 
prove and  endear.  On  this  side  of  the  border  it  is 
now  practically  impossible  to  obtain  really  good 
trout  fishing,  within  reasonable  limits  of  distance 
and  without  exorbitant  expenditure,  hence  the  real 
fisherman  should  hasten  to  ensure  his  happiness,  as 
I  have,  while  the  chance  still  remains  open.  His 
share  of  stock  will  not  only  give  him  joy  while  he 
lives,  but  will  be  treasured,  more  and  more  highly, 
by  his  sons,  grandsons,  and  generations  still  further 
in  the  future. 
June,  1912. 

During  1912  I  was  unable  to  get  north  in  June, 
but  with  my  wife  and  two  friends  reached  Camp 
Henry  on  September  12th,  stayed  there  a  couple  of 
days,  taking  quite  enough  trout  and  a  couple  of 
ouauaniche  from  a  small  lake  near  by,  put  in  one 
day  at  San  Bernard,  with  excellent  success,  and  then 
went  up  to  Camp  Parmelee.  In  all  the  waters 
accessible  from  this  latter  camp  the  fishing  was  sim- 
ply superb,  in  fact  ridiculously  easy,  trout  of  all 
sizes  being  so  numerous,  and  taking  the  fly  so  read- 
ily, that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  more  than  one- 
tenth  of  our  catch.  In  little  Lake  Paine  I  took 
seventeen  fish  in  an  hour,  ranging  from  half  a  pound 
to  one  and  three-quarters,  and  once  hooked  and 
landed  a  triple  catch,  one  of  one  pound,  one  of  a 
pound  and  a  quarter,  and  one  of  a  pound  and  three- 
quarters.    All  these  fish  were  returned  to  the  water 


I 

I 


mt 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  25 

without  injury,  and  are  there  yet  for  the  next  fisher- 
man. In  the  pool  called  the  'Tork  Barrel,"  in 
Vialon  and  almost  in  front  of  the  Camp,  late  in  the 
afternoon  one  could  take  fish  from  a  pound  up  to  his 
full  satisfaction,  and  Sans  Bout,  with  all  its  tribu- 
taries, fairly  swarmed  with  large  trout.  I  did  not 
go  to  Sorcier  this  time,  but  made  one  trip  down 
Sans  Bout,  up  the  Noel  River  about  three  miles,  and 
then  carried  over  to  Moose  Lake,  a  large,  irregular, 
and  beautiful  sheet  of  water  fairly  swarming  with 
fish,  so  numerous  that  they  seemed  to  be  insuffi- 
ciently fed,  so  that  one  trout  eighteen  inches  long 
weighed  only  a  pound  and  a  half.  After  a  late 
luncheon  and  fishing  in  the  lake  a  while,  I  started 
down  ahead  of  the  others,  and  struck  the  Noel  River 
about  four  o'clock,  when  nearly  the  whole  course  of 
the  stream  was  in  deep  shadow.  Perhaps  half  a 
mile  below  the  landing  was  a  sharp  curve,  deep 
water  and  with  brush  on  both  sides,  and  brush  and 
logs  on  shore  and  on  the  bottom.  Here  big  trout 
rose  to  every  cast  and,  after  taking  and  putting  back 
half  a  dozen,  I  had  a  tremendous  strike  and  soon 
discovered  that  three  fish  were  hooked.  The  one  on 
the  upper  fly  was  a  tremendous  fellow,  close  on  four 
pounds,  and  to  keep  the  others  out  of  the  brush  I 
had  to  hold  him  close  to  the  surface.  I  had  to  give 
the  bunch  the  butt  all  the  time,  as  they  dashed  from 
one  side  to  the  other,  constantly  rushing  toward 
brush  from  which  they  had  to  be  held  by  main 
strength,  with  the  tip  of  the  rod  curved  down  well 


26  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

past  the  hand,  and  after  some  ten  minutes  of  such 
exercise  the  big  fellow,  always  flopping  over  the 
surface,  shook  himself  loose,  and  the  other  two, 
when  landed,  weighed  just  two  pounds  each.  I  took 
eighteen  fish  out  of  that  stretch,  none  less  than  a 
pound  and  a  half,  and  did  not  kill  one  of  them,  but 
had  as  good  sport  as  any  one  can  ask  for. 

While  we  were  at  Camp  Henry  two  of  the 
members  came  down  with  a  moose  head  each,  one  of 
which  was  a  remarkably  fine  one,  with  twenty-five 
points,  very  broad  and  heavy  palms,  very  regular 
and  beautiful  front  palms,  and  a  spread  of  fifty-four 
inches  or  a  little  more. 

One  morning  I  was  smoking  the  after-breakfast 
cigar  at  Parmelee  when  some  one  shouted  "Moose." 
I  rushed  out  and  there  was  a  big  bull  calmly  swim- 
ming across  the  lake  about  three  hundred  yards 
away,  his  great  antlers  making  a  splendid  show.  He 
landed  on  an  open  point,  shook  himself  like  a  dog, 
so  that  a  white  shower  flew  from  his  thick  coat,  and 
then  marched  oE  into  the  forest.  Fortunately  no- 
body had  a  gun  available  so  he  was  not  molested, 
and  is  there  waiting  for  some  member  who  wants 
a  moose.  Great  fresh  tracks  were  visible  along  all 
the  portages  and  evidently  moose  are  numerous  in 
the  country,  and  a  member  who  wants  one  and  will 
take  a  reasonable  amount  of  trouble  and  time  is 
practically  certain  to  get  his  prize. 

Having  been  admitted  to  the  privileges  of  this 
club  but  a  few  years  ago,  it  is  possible  for  me  only 


f 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  27 

to  describe  what  it  is  now,  and  to  give  my  personal 
experience.  I  earnestly  hope  that  other  members, 
especially  those  who  took  part  in  its  organization 
and  early  history,  may  be  moved  to  write  out  and 
place  in  the  hands  of  the  Secretary,  an  account  of 
the  origin,  early  history  and  growth  of  this  delight- 
ful place.  I  feel  also  that  the  value  of  such  privi- 
leges as  we  have  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  that  it 
is  therefore  of  vital  importance  that  prompt  action 
be  taken  toward  ensuring  their  continuous  future. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  the  province  would  convey 
title  to  the  entire  tract,  reserving  the  lumber  and 
mineral  right  if  necessary,  for  a  sum  well  within 
the  value  of  the  property  and  within  our  means.  I 
hope  that  the  Directors  will  consider  this  or  any 
other  method  of  perpetuating  our  privileges,  both 
for  us  and  our  children  and  grandchildren,  and  feel 
assured  that  the  stockholders  will  heartily  co-operate 
in  raising  any  reasonable  amount  that  may  prove 
necessary,  either  by  purchasing  more  stock,  if  an 
increased  issue  is  made,  by  subscribing  for  an  issue 
of  bonds,  or  by  both,  as  the  management  may  deem 
wise. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  our  honored 
president,  Gen.  Wm.  W.  Henry,  has  most  kindly 
given  me  permission  to  use  his  short  account  of  the 
original  founding  of  the  club  (originally  printed  in 
our  Club  Book  in  1901),  and  it  is  therefore  re- 
printed at  the  end  of  this  little  book.    One  hundred 


28 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 


and  fifty  copies  will  be  printed  and  a  copy  sent  to 
each  of  the  worthy  sportsmen  who  make  up  our 
membership  at  present,  and  who  shall  join  our 
ranks  in  the  future,  so  long  as  they  last. 

A.  St.  J.  Newberry. 
Cleveland,  191 2. 


How  the  St.  Bernard  Fish  and  Game 
Club  Came  to  be  Formed 


How  the  St.  Bernard  Fish  and  Game 
Club  Came  to  be  Formed 


In  the  year  1872,  General  George  P.  Foster,  of 
Burlington,  Vt.,  was  stopping  at  the  St.  Leon  Springs, 
drinking  that  best  of  all  spring  water  for  rheuma- 
tism, when  one  evening  the  proprietor  of  the  house, 
Mr.  Gilman,  said  to  him,  '^General,  come  out  here, 
I  want  to  show  you  something  you  never  saw  be- 
fore." The  General  followed  him  to  his  ice  house 
and  there  spread  out  on  the  cold  saw  dust  was  about 
one  hundred  pounds  of  the  finest  "brook  trout"  he 
ever  saw,  from  a  half  pound  to  four  pounds  in 
weight.  The  General  was  astonished  and  said: 
"Where  did  they  come  from?"  "These  two  men 
caught  them  about  twenty  miles  from  here  in  Lake 
Saccacoma  and  other  lakes  in  that  vicinity."  Fos- 
ter then  noticed  the  two  fishermen,  one  a  fine  speci- 
men of  the  native  "habitant,"  John  Modiste  by 
name,  and  our  faithful  guardian  of  today,  and  the 
other,  a  powerful,  well  built  Abenikis  Indian,  "Mag- 
wando"  in  the  Indian  language,  "Bon  homme,"  pro- 
nounced "Bonom,"  in  French.  "Did  you  catch 
these  trout?"  "Yes,"  said  Modiste,  who  spoke  Eng- 
lish very  well.  "Are  there  more  where  they  came 
from?"    "Plenty."    "Can  I  catch  some  like  them  if 


32  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

I  go  there?"  ''Sure,"  said  John.  'When  are  you 
going  back?"  "To-morrow  morning."  "Mr.  Gil- 
man,  order  me  a  buckboard  and  driver  to  be  here  in 
the  morning."  Foster  followed  the  two  fishermen  the 
next  day  to  Lake  Saccacoma,  stopping  at  the  In- 
dians' house,  which  stands  just  east  of  our  club 
house  on  that  lake.  The  next  day  with  John  and 
"Bonom"  for  guides,  he  visited  and  fished  in  Lake 
Saccacoma  and  Willey,  and  satisfied  himself  the 
trout  were  there  without  any  mistake.  He  returned 
to  St.  Leon  Springs,  his  rheumatism  very  much 
better,  paid  his  bill  and  started  for  Burlington,  tak- 
ing with  him  the  fine  catch  of  the  day  before.  He 
did  not  wish  to  make  all  the  sports  in  the  city  crazy, 
so  calling  a  few  choice  friends  in,  he  exhibited  the 
trout  and  told  his  fish  story.  As  we  knew  him  to 
be  a  first  class  fisherman,  we  did  not  doubt  his  word 
in  the  least,  and  the  next  day,  saw  the  General,  Gen- 
eral Wells,  General  Jim  Peck,  Jonas  Reed,  and 
myself,  on  our  way  to  Canada.  Procuring  the  nec- 
essary supplies  at  Montreal,  and  taking  the  steamer, 
"Trois  Riviere,"  we  were  met  in  Lake  St.  Peter  by 
a  small  tug  boat,  which  landed  us  just  below  the 
bridge  in  "Riviere  du  Loup"  as  it  was  called  then. 
After  the  C.  P.  Railroad  was  built,  the  name  was 
changed  to  "Louisville,"  as  there  was  another  "Ri- 
viere du  Loup"  below  Quebec.  In  due  time  we 
reached  Bonom's  house  at  Saccacoma  Lake,  and  he 
and  his  good  wife  (she  was  a  bright  woman,  and 
spoke  good  English),  allowed  us  to  camp  in  their 


Ten  Trout  Caught  by  Mr.  Hard,  3  to  Jf%  Pounds 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  33 

chamber,  on  the  floor,  and  I  am  not  telling  a  fish 
story  when  I  say  in  the  morning  I  saw  a  line  of 
bed  bugs  four  inches  wide,  leading  from  our  bed 
to  the  wall  of  the  house,  and  for  size,  well  some 
of  them  were  a  half  inch  across  the  back.  Bonom's 
wife  engaged  us  guides  and  canoes  and  we  com- 
menced the  finest  trout  fishing  it  was  ever  my  luck  to 
enjoy.  We  fished  in  Lakes  Saccacoma,  Willey  and 
Caniche  and  caught  plenty  of  trout,  from  half  a 
pound  to  five  pounds,  and  in  four  days  had  all  we 
wanted,  and  left  for  home. 

I  visited  the  lakes  every  year  with  different 
parties,  for  several  years;  the  first  two  we  camped 
at  Bonom's,  then  we  camped  in  a  bark  camp  two 
years  on  the  west  end  of  Lake  Saccacoma,  near  the 
Willey  portage;  then  one  year  in  a  bark  camp  on 
Lake  Culbute,  near  the  first  portage.  We  had  been 
fishing  several  years,  and  did  not  learn  that  there 
were  any  other  lakes  near,  when  one  day  the  fishing 
was  not  very  good  in  Lake  Willey,  and  John  Mo- 
diste said:  "Let  us  go  down  to  St.  Bernard  Lake," 
only  two  miles  west,  and  Jim  Brock,  Riley  Stearns, 
and  myself,  wandered  over  the  divide,  down  across 
Lake  Culbute  to  the  beautiful  Lake  St.  Bernard, 
then  called  Bark  Lake.  Then  I  learned  for  the 
first  time  there  were  several  more  good  trout  lakes 
within  five  miles  of  this  lake,  and  Brock  and  I  said 
this  is  the  place  to  build  our  permanent  camp.  We 
caught  about  two  hundred  splendid  trout  and  re- 
turned to  camp,  told  the  others  of  our  find,  and  all 


34  A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE 

visited  the  lovely  lake  next  day,  lunched  on  the 
rock  in  front  of  our  present  house,  and  voted  it 
was  the  place  to  build.  On  our  return  home,  a 
company  was  formed,  Senator  George  F.  Edmunds 
being  the  one  who  wrote  our  Constitution  and  By- 
Laws,  and  I  was  instructed  to  buy  the  land  and  put 
up  a  fisherman's  house,  which  I  did,  at  a  cost  of  a 
little  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  and  leased 
from  the  Crown  Land  Office  in  Quebec,  eight  lakes, 
at  a  rental  of  forty  dollars  per  year.  I  engaged 
Modiste  as  a  guardian  and  put  up  a  cabin  for  him, 
built  a  barn  and  ice  house,  and  he  moved  his  family 
there  and  commenced  making  the  farm.  I  pur- 
chased lot  No.  I,  and  later,  as  John  wanted  more 
good  farming  land,  I  purchased  lot  No.  2,  at  thirty- 
five  cents  per  acre,  under  the  "Homestead  Law." 

A  few  years  later,  it  was  decided  that  we 
wanted  a  house  on  Lake  Saccacoma  and  I  purchased 
there  three  acres  at  the  end  of  the  road,  and  it  was 
named  ''Camp  Henry."  I  wrote  the  members  for  a 
donation  and  about  five  hundred  was  freely  given, 
and  a  board  and  frame  house  was  erected,  with  a 
house  for  John,  and  an  ice  house.  In  the  meantime 
we  had  purchased  a  few  birch  bark  canoes.  In 
1890  our  lease  was  renewed  at  a  rental  of  sixty-five 
dollars  per  year,  for  ten  years,  and  in  1899,  I  made 
a  new  lease  for  nine  years  for  one-hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  per  year,  increasing  the  num- 
ber of  lakes  to  twenty.  I  was  also  instructed  to  take 
out  a  hunting  lease  for  one  hundred  square  miles  for 


A  FISHERMAN'S  PARADISE  35 

one  hundred  dollars  per  year,  for  nine  years.  The 
Crown  Land  officers  informed  me  that  we  must  form 
a  corporation  under  the  Provincial  Laws,  and  at 
our  annual  meeting  at  Camp  Henry  in  June,  1899, 
I  was  instructed  to  take  out  the  necessary  papers, 
which  I  did,  and  at  the  next  meeting  it  will  be  nec- 
essary to  accept  of  the  new  corporation  papers,  and 
adopt  By-Laws,  and  the  old  ''St.  Bernard  Fishing 
Club"  will  cease  to  exist,  and  the  new  "St.  Bernard 
Fish  and  Game  Club"  will  take  its  place.  There 
should  be  built  this  summer  a  good  substantial 
"Hunters'  Home"  on  Lake  Sorcier,  and  leanto 
camps  on  Lakes  Simpson  and  Sanbute,  for  which 
I  shall  ask  all  the  members  to  contribute  and  will 
build  according  to  the  funds  contributed.  So  far 
all  the  old  members  have  provided  their  own  beds, 
and  the  new  members  should  get  such  bedding  as 
they  want. 

Comrades — There  are  many  other  things  I 
could  say,  but  your  patience  must  be  about  ex- 
hausted, so  will  close,  saying,  I  believe  we  have  one 
of  the  best  fishing  and  hunting  preserves  in  Canada, 
and  if  the  new  members  enjoy  it  as  well  as  we  old 
fellows  have  and  expect  to  for  a  good  many  years 
yet,  and  we  have  the  same  good  comradeship  and 
harmony  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  this  will  be- 
come the  ideal  "Sportsman's  Camp." 

1901.  WM.  W.  HENRY. 


